Used Cooking Oil (UCO)
Used Cooking Oil (UCO)
Used Cooking Oil (UCO)
Designing clearer handoffs for India's used cooking oil ecosystem
Designing clearer handoffs for India's used cooking oil ecosystem
Designing clearer handoffs for India's used cooking oil ecosystem
A design sprint exploring how interaction design can connect food businesses, collection partners and authorized buyers through a clearer, more traceable UCO journey.
A design sprint exploring how interaction design can connect food businesses, collection partners and authorized buyers through a clearer, more traceable UCO journey.
PLATFORM DESIGN
SERVICE DESIGN
SYSTEM THINKING
SUSTAINAIBILITY
The infrastructure already exists.
The infrastructure already exists.
FSSAI's RUCO program established an ecosystem for collecting UCO from food businesses and routing it toward authorized non-food production units. FSSAI also developed a RUCO Traceability Application to generate disposal requests, enroll non-food production units, recognize aggregators, monitor transactions and generate reports. The application provides access for FBOs, aggregators and NFP units.
FSSAI's RUCO program established an ecosystem for collecting UCO from food businesses and routing it toward authorized non-food production units. FSSAI also developed a RUCO Traceability Application to generate disposal requests, enroll non-food production units, recognize aggregators, monitor transactions and generate reports. The application provides access for FBOs, aggregators and NFP units.
Commercial platforms are also emerging.
Commercial platforms are also emerging.
For example, BYUFUEL describes a technology platform that allows restaurants, hotels, caterers, cloud kitchens and food processors to schedule collections, track pickups and payments, and maintain supply-chain traceability.
For example, BYUFUEL describes a technology platform that allows restaurants, hotels, caterers, cloud kitchens and food processors to schedule collections, track pickups and payments, and maintain supply-chain traceability.
01. The Gap
01. The Gap
The infrastructure exists.
The experience between handoffs is the design opportunity
The infrastructure exists.
The experience between handoffs is the design opportunity
Other adds digital collection, verification, chain-of-custody and compliance tracking.
Restaurant sees a pickup.
Collector sees a route.
Buyer sees supply.
Context can disappear between them.
Make the transaction itself the primary object of the experience.
CLOSED TRANSACTION CHAIN
The existing products in the market follows the linear progression model.
They don't have access to have options in choosing the collectors, buyers or food businesses that matches their requirement.
02. One Journey. Shared Visibility.
02. One Journey. Shared Visibility.
A single source of truth for the entire UCO journey,
with role-specific actions and insights.
A single source of truth for the entire UCO journey,
with role-specific actions and insights.
From Isolated View
From Isolated View
From Isolated View
To Shared Journey
To Shared Journey
To Shared Journey
REQUESTED →
REQUESTED →
Restaurant
Restaurant
ASSIGNED →
ASSIGNED →
Collector
Collector
COLLECTED →
COLLECTED →
Collector
Collector
VERIFIED →
VERIFIED →
System
System
AVAILABLE →
AVAILABLE →
Buyer
Buyer
PURCHASED
PURCHASED
Buyer
Buyer
Everyone can follow the same transaction, while acting only where their role requires it.
Everyone can follow the same transaction, while acting only where their role requires it.
What this enables
What this enables
What this enables
FASTER OPERATIONS
FASTER OPERATIONS
Reduced manual follow-ups and coordination time.
Reduced manual follow-ups and coordination time.
GREATER IMPACT
GREATER IMPACT
More UCO recycled, less waste burned, lower emissions.
More UCO recycled, less waste burned, lower emissions.
100% TRACEABILITY
100% TRACEABILITY
End-to-end visibility across every handoff.
End-to-end visibility across every handoff.
BETTER DATA QUALITY
BETTER DATA QUALITY
Verified data at every step, reducing disputes.
Verified data at every step, reducing disputes.
03. From Mental Model to Interaction
03. From Mental Model to Interaction
From a transaction to a network
From a transaction to a network
Making supply, demand and logistics visible to the right people and at the right time.
Making supply, demand and logistics visible to the right people and at the right time.
EXISTING
Closed Transaction Chain
Relationships become visible only as the transaction progresses.
Request
RESTAURANT
Pickup
COLLECTOR
Receive
BUYER
Request
RESTAURANT
Pickup
COLLECTOR
Receive
BUYER
PROPOSED
Open Network Visibility
Availability, proximity and matching become part of the experience.
How It Changes The Journey
Relationships become visible only as the transaction progresses.
01
REQUEST
Restaurant raises request
02
MATCH
Nearby collectors see it
03
CONFIRM
Collector accepts pickup
04
NOTIFY
Buyer sees confirmed supply
RESTAURANT
See nearby collectors + buyer demand
REQUEST PICKUP
REQUEST PICKUP
REQUEST PICKUP
COLLECTOR
See nearby UCO requests + buyer demand
ACCEPT PICKUP
ACCEPT PICKUP
ACCEPT PICKUP
BUYER
See confirmed incoming supply
VIEW SUPPLY
VIEW SUPPLY
VIEW SUPPLY
Same data. Same journey. Different actions.
Same data. Same journey. Different actions.
Restaurant POV
Restaurant POV
Collector POV
Collector POV
Buyer POV
Buyer POV
04. One Screen. Three Perspective
04. One Screen. Three Perspective
One network. Role-aware visibility.
One network. Role-aware visibility.
The same UCO network adapts to what each stakeholder needs to see, act on, and track.
The same UCO network adapts to what each stakeholder needs to see, act on, and track.
1
Relevant visibility
See only what helps you act.
3
Trusted handoffs
Verified transaction state.
2
Faster matching
Proximity + availability.
4
Higher efficiency
Less deadstock. More value.
PRIVACY BY DESIGN
PRIVACY BY DESIGN
Competitors are never shown.
Competitors are never shown.
Only relevant partners and
Only relevant partners and
your own journey are visible.
your own journey are visible.
YOU SEE
YOU SEE
✓ Relevant partners
✓ Relevant partners
✓ Relevant partners
✓ Your activity
✓ Your activity
✓ Your activity
✓ Shared transaction state
✓ Shared transaction state
✓ Shared transaction state
YOU DON’T SEE
YOU DON’T SEE
× Competitors
× Competitors
× Competitors
× Their routes
× Their routes
× Their routes
× Their relationships
× Their relationships
× Their relationships
Restaurant POV
Restaurant POV
Collector POV
Collector POV
Buyer POV
Buyer POV
Restaurant POV
Collector POV
Buyer POV
SAME NETWORK. DIFFERENT ACTIONS.
SAME NETWORK. DIFFERENT ACTIONS.
Restaurant
Restaurant
Raises request
Raises request
→
→
Collector
Collector
Accepts & collects
Accepts & collects
→
→
Buyer
Buyer
Reviews verified lot
Reviews verified lot
→
→
Everyone
Everyone
Tracks the same journey
Tracks the same journey
05. What the design enables
05. What the design enables
From Visibility to action
From Visibility to action
Making supply, logistics and demand easier to coordinate across the UCO journey.
Making supply, logistics and demand easier to coordinate across the UCO journey.
THE CONNECTED NETWORK
THE CONNECTED NETWORK
Food
Businesses
Food
Businesses
Request + Pickup
Request + Pickup
Request + Pickup
UCO
UCO
Verified Incoming Supply
Verified Incoming Supply
Verified Incoming Supply
Buyer
Buyer
One shared journey connects the three stakeholders without exposing competitive information.
One shared journey connects the three stakeholders without exposing competitive information.
01 / FASTER MATCHING
01 / FASTER MATCHING
Proximity +
Proximity +
availability.
availability.
Restaurants find relevant collectors nearby.
Restaurants find relevant collectors nearby.
Collectors discover UCO requests without waiting for manual routing.
REQUEST → MATCH → CONFIRM
03 / TRANSPARENT HANDOFFS
03 / TRANSPARENT HANDOFFS
Every handoff
Every handoff
has a state.
has a state.
The same UCO record moves from request to collection, verification and incoming supply.
The same UCO record moves from request to collection, verification and incoming supply.
REQUEST → COLLECT → VERIFY
02 / BETTER UTILIZATION
02 / BETTER UTILIZATION
Less idle
Less idle
capacity.
capacity.
Collectors see nearby requests and choose pick ups that fit proximity and available capacity.
Collectors see nearby requests and choose pick ups that fit proximity and available capacity.
DISTANCE + VOLUME + CAPACITY
04 / CONFIDENT PROCUREMENT
04 / CONFIDENT PROCUREMENT
Know what is
Know what is
coming in.
coming in.
Buyers receive confirmed incoming supply with source, collector, quantity and journey context.
Buyers receive confirmed incoming supply with source, collector, quantity and journey context.
INCOMING → REVIEW → PURCHASE
Interactive Prototype
Interactive Prototype
Low Fidelity
Low Fidelity
06. scaling the model
06. scaling the model
one interaction model. a larger network.
one interaction model. a larger network.
The system can scale from a single UCO handoff to a multi-city network without changing the core interaction.
The system can scale from a single UCO handoff to a multi-city network without changing the core interaction.
THE CONNECTED NETWORK
1
TRANSACTION
Restaurant → Collector → Buyer
Restaurant → Collector → Buyer
Same Journey
Same Journey
10s
CITY NETWORK
More supply · more collectors · more buyers
More supply · more collectors · more buyers
Same Rules
Same Rules
100s
MULTIPLE CITY
Cross-city procurement + logistics
Cross-city procurement + logistics
Same System
Same System
∞
NETWORK
Shared visibility at ecosystem scale
Shared visibility at ecosystem scale
1
TRANSACTION
Restaurant → Collector → Buyer
Same Journey
10s
CITY NETWORK
More supply · more collectors · more buyers
Same Rules
100s
MULTIPLE CITY
Cross-city procurement + logistics
Same System
∞
NETWORK
Shared visibility at ecosystem scale
SCALABILITY PRINCIPLE
SCALABILITY PRINCIPLE
Scale the network, not the complexity.
Scale the network, not the complexity.
Scale the network, not the complexity.
More participants, more transactions and more cities — while the core interaction stays familiar.
More participants, more transactions and more cities — while the core interaction stays familiar.
More participants, more transactions and more cities — while the core interaction stays familiar.
Reflections
Reflections
Reflections
The problem is often constant. The real challenge is having keen enough eyes to find the right design opportunity within it.
The problem is often constant. The real challenge is having keen enough eyes to find the right design opportunity within it.
The problem is often constant. The real challenge is having keen enough eyes to find the right design opportunity within it.
This project taught me to look beyond the obvious problem and question where the friction actually lives. In this case, not simply in UCO collection, but in how information and relationships move between stakeholders.
This project taught me to look beyond the obvious problem and question where the friction actually lives. In this case, not simply in UCO collection, but in how information and relationships move between stakeholders.
This project taught me to look beyond the obvious problem and question where the friction actually lives. In this case, not simply in UCO collection, but in how information and relationships move between stakeholders.
Beyond Future Products
Explore more